


First Day

by sunshineisdelicious



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, and tagging them would be tedious, focused on mericcup, there are characters from almost every animated movie I like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-03-25 02:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3792409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineisdelicious/pseuds/sunshineisdelicious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Mericcup College AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of the last year of classes for them both, and they just happen to run into each other.

The alarm beeped. Merida squinted at the clock. Eight already? She groaned and half-rolled off the mattress. The covers came off with her as she stumbled through the bedroom door.

The freshman rooming with her now (Rachel? Rebecca? Something with an _r_ . . . and she had the most _ridiculous_ blonde hair) was already gone for her seven o’clock class, the crazy kid, and it was quiet.

She made a face and pulled out her phone. She picked something loud to play while she got ready. First day of her last year here, she thought, yanking a shirt over her wild hair. One more _blessed_ year, and she’d be off and chasing that sunset. She made a face at herself in the mirror, dribbling toothpaste.

_Here we go._

* * *

 

She was hurrying along the sidewalk, schedule in hand. As she checked the building number before heading through the doors, something knocked into her and sent her to the ground. Her knee hit hard and her jeans shredded, and she hissed at cold of the sidewalk and the sting of the scrape. She pushed herself up to look at the just-ripped fabric. If there was blood, she was going to—

The scrape was bleeding. And the rip was huge. These pants were _new._

She swore angrily and looked up at the flustered young man who had run into her. He was scrambling to pick up his things and was apologizing all over the place. He looked like he’d just sprinted a half mile to campus right after falling out of bed, his hair sticking up all over and his clothes wrinkled.

“Sorry, sorry—gonna be late, I’m seriously so sorry—”

It was enough to make her laugh—this ridiculous gangly person, still blinking sleep from his eyes, half gasping for breath while spewing apologies and trying to pick the papers that had exploded out of the folders he was carrying.

He looked at her, startled. She caught her breath—just for a moment, mind—at his green eyes. They were the color of the forest leaves she loved so dearly, the color of home. And all those freckles . . .

She blinked quickly and smiled at him. “It’s okay. Well, sort of, but . . . you want help with those papers?” The early fall wind was sweeping them around now.

She didn’t wait for a response and began running after the papers that had blown the farthest. She glanced at them as she went after some collected at the base of a tree. There were diagrams and equations and she didn’t really know what it was all supposed to mean.

It didn’t take too long to get them all rounded up, and as she stuffed them into one of the folders, she said, “My name’s Merida, by the way.”

He smiled at her accent. “Scottish, then? So’s my dad. I’m Hiccup.”

She snorted (her mother would be _mortified_ ). “Seriously?”

Now there were papers held between his teeth, so he just rolled his eyes and shrugged.

She shrugged as well and muttered, “As you like it, then.”

The papers now all back in Hiccup’s arms—he’d organize them later—they headed for the building at a quick pace. “I’m teaching, today, you know,” he said with a bit of a frantic undertone. “That’s why I was—well, I missed the alarm. Jack probably turned it off, the sh—uh, yeah, so I was running, and—”

Merida shushed him. “It’s alright, I told you. What are you teaching?”

“It’s sort of a specialized modern architecture and design thing. I petitioned to have it be my final project, sort of a research-discussion-teaching opportunity, and I didn’t want to be _late_ on the first day . . . ” He sighed. “So much for that.”

She smiled and said, “It’ll be fine. First day’s always a bit tough, right?”

His laugh was warm and she smiled a bit wider. He reached the door and pulled it open for her, talking about how glad he was that it was the last first day for him at this school.

He was heading upstairs, so he smiled and said, “See you later, Merida!”

She waved back and watched him climb the stairs for a moment. She noticed that one of his ankles was—metal? A prosthetic?

That was a story she’d like to hear. As she walked to her class, her scraped knee forgotten, she wondered if he would want to grab a coffee and tell her about his leg and his special architecture class.

Knowing him a bit better suddenly seemed like one of the best possible things to do.


	2. Friendly Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set a month or two after First Day. Merida comes home after a date with Hiccup. Her evening doesn’t go as planned.

Merida had just gotten home. She was tired and really wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, as soon as her head hit the pillow, Rapunzel (what kind of a parent named their child _that?_ ) bounced into the room, flicking on the light, her eyes sparkling.

“Weeeell?” she prodded, jumping in Merida’s swivel chair and scooting it close to Merida’s head, pushing her curls out of the way so she could see her face.

Merida couldn’t help herself. She blushed. Rapunzel squealed and twirled around in the chair. Merida couldn’t help her own smile and buried her face in her pillow to hide it.

“Oh my gosh, _Merida!!_ ” Rapunzel laughed, shaking her. “Are you not _totally_ over the moon?”

Merida groaned, hoping that if she didn’t act like she felt—like she was going to float away with happiness—her bubbly roommate would leave her alone.

She knew she wouldn’t, though, so she mumbled a ‘yes’ into her pillow. Rapunzel squealed again, throwing her arms around Merida in a tackle hug.

“Ack! Alright, _alright_ —” Merida laughed. “ _Ay_ , I’m totally ‘over the moon’ or whatever it was you said.”

As she sat up, Rapunzel jumped up to the foot of the bed and set her chin in her hands. When Merida hesitated to talk, she scooted a bit closer, her eyes wide and her smile wider.

Merida bit her lip and giggled a bit helplessly, feeling like a teenager. She took a deep breath to steady herself and began, “So, I met him today at the plaza—”

“What was he wearing? Did he look super nice, or was it more of the casual I’m-trying-but-trying-to-look-like-I’m-not-trying sort of thing?” Rapunzel cut in quickly.

Merida laughed. “Um, the not-trying one? Anyway, so we met there, and we just talk about our days on the way to his bike—”

“Was there laughing? That’s always good, laughing. Oh! And it’s super good if he’s, like, just driving you around town, you know, showing you the sights or whatever,” Rapunzel said, her tone urgent.

“Would you stop interrupting?” she laughed, softly throwing her pillow at Rapunzel’s head. The blonde just giggled, hugging the pillow tightly as Merida continued. “Ay, there was lots of laughing and smiling and that sort of thing. The ride was fun. He’s got a helmet for me now, which is darling.” She paused for a moment, thinking about his goofy half smile as he held out the helmet to her, and her involuntary grin returned full force.

Rapunzel bounced up and down and threw the pillow back. “You’re so _twitterpated,_ I _love it!_ I don’t even have to know what you guys went and did, ‘cause I just know it was so great. _But._ I do have to know one thing.” She scooted close and leaned forward, lowering her voice (as if anyone were listening). “Have you guys, you know . . . _kissed_ yet?”

Merida buried her face in her pillow again. It didn’t seem like it should be a big deal, not for someone her age, but Merida hadn’t kissed anyone when it wasn’t on a dare. No romantic stuff, no boyfriends or summer flings or whatever. She had told Rapunzel this almost entirely on accident, and she was lucky that Rapunzel was the sort of person who understood how big this would be for her.

She nodded, her face still hidden.

Rapunzel laughed and threw herself at Merida in yet another tackle hug. “Merida, I’m so _happy_ for you! I just—“

Their doorbell rang. Rapunzel eyebrows went all the way up and she bit her lip in excitement. “Oh my gosh, I bet that’s him! Come on, come on, come on, up up up—” she cried, pulling on Merida until she was up on her feet. Rapunzel quickly fixed Merida’s twisted shirt and fluffed up her hair a bit (like it needed any more volume), pushing her towards the front door all the while.

She looked Merida up and down and hummed excitedly. “I’ll just—I’ll be in my room, ok? You look great! And don’t even worry about anything—you are just so great! Ok, ok, I’m gone, I promise!” she giggled, scurrying back to the bedroom/bathroom area and shutting the door behind her.

Merida rolled her eyes and smiled. Rapunzel hadn’t had many friends growing up, from what she knew, and Merida had never had a roommate so enthusiastically interested in her life. It was kind of nice, but it did take some getting used to.

She looked through the peep-hole and saw shaggy brown hair and a black leather jacket. Yup, it was him. She unlocked the door and opened it with the chain still on. One eye peered out at the lanky young man on the porch “Yeees?” she creaked, doing her best impression of a witch. It _was_ October.

Hiccup laughed. Oh, mercy, his laugh was music that touched her soul. “Hey, Merida. You left your jacket at my apartment. I was just stopping by to bring it back.”

She quickly undid the chain and opened the door fully, standing with her hand on her hip. “I have other jackets, you know. And you could’ve texted me or something.” It was far too easy to act like she wasn’t delighted that he came.

She felt a bit giddy as she saw his cheeks turn a bit red. “Oh. Well, yes, but I thought that . . . that is, I wanted to, ah, see you. Again.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “Did Jack tell you to do this?” she asked. She had heard stories of one of his roommates, Jack Frost, but was yet to meet him. He sounded a bit too much like her brothers.

His shoulders slumped a bit. “Maybe? Sorry, this is—here’s your jacket, I’ll just go. . . ” he said, turning to head back to his motorcycle.

She laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him in. “I’m just messing with you. Come in, I’m _happy_ you came. Dear wee lamb, you are.”

“’ _Wee_ _lamb’_?” he cried indignantly as she shut the door, his voice rising in pitch. “Did you seriously just call me a _‘dear wee lamb’?_ ”

“Ay,” she hummed playfully, tossing her jacket on a chair. She wrapped her arms around his waist under his jacket and leaned back to look at his face. “I did. So what?”

He huffed, but his hands clasped behind her back. Her heart thrummed happily and she was fairly positive she was grinning like a loon. He was too, though, so she supposed it was all right.

“I just don’t think I’ve ever been called a ‘ _wee lamb._ ’” he muttered, his eyes running over her face. He continued, “Fishbone, yes. Scrawny, yes. A disaster waiting to happen, yes. But _never_ a baby _sheep_.” He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her forehead. She could feel him smiling as he ran one hand up and down her back.

He sighed then. “And I don’t think I even care.” He pulled back and beamed down at her, his beautiful green eyes shining in the darkness of the unlit front room. “Merida Dunbroch, you can call me a ‘ _dear wee lamb_ ’ anytime you like.”

“Good,” she mumbled, leaning forward to rest her head against his chest. His sweater smelled like him, and he smelled like heaven. She sighed happily and squeezed him tightly. “I plan to.”


	3. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merida spends Halloween evening at Hiccup’s apartment.

A fade to black, the title, and a final “unexpected” flashed scene of the monster. When the credits started rolling, North reached out to flip on the lights and Aster stood up to change the DVD.

Tooth was curled into a ball, her eyes huge. “Oh my gosh, you guys,” she whimpered. “I don’t think I can watch another one tonight. I’ll be sleeping with my light on for a week as it is!”

“You’re fine, sheila,” Aster muttered. “They’re not real, they can’t hurt you, and I’m _not_ sleeping with the light on.”

MK stretched and yawned. “I don’t think I could watch another one, either, to be honest. I’d fall asleep partway through and have the _weirdest_ dreams.” Nod poked her in the side, and she swatted away his hand and told him to stop. He stuck out his tongue. She rolled her eyes and fell back against him with a huff, arms crossed but a small smile on her face.

Sandy signed something at Nod, and North laughed loudly and slapped the shorter man’s shoulder, causing Sandy to nearly fall off the couch. As Jack asked a question about which sequels were better, Merida got up to refill her and Hiccup’s drinks.

She didn’t really know what to think of this apartment. Six guys lived here, and it was frighteningly clean. There was almost always someone over. The setup in the main room was amazing, with comfy couches and beanbags, a fancy speaker system, a huge TV, and several gaming consoles she knew her brothers wanted. The guys were mostly seniors, excluding Jack, all graduating in June. They were also older than most, and Merida was certain there was a story behind that.

As she stood staring into the now-filled cups, Hiccup came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Hey,” he said softly in her ear, “are you okay? I know it’s a bit crowded. We can go if you want to.”

She turned around to face him, a drink in each hand. “I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “I was just thinking about how strange you guys are.”

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, the rest of his face blank.

She chuckled. “Och, my dear wee lamb,” she crooned. “You know it’s true. You are all a bit . . . well, odd.”

He pinched her side lightly and muttered something about taking one to know one. She laughed and gave him a quick kiss. (She had discovered that she quite liked kissing him, and it usually made Hiccup pretty happy, too.) He beamed at her then, as she thought he would, and they walked back to the beanbag they had claimed earlier, “For Dunbroch!”

The conversation had turned to how Nod and MK had met over the summer. As Hiccup and Merida settled into the beanbag, Tooth turned to them and said, “So, I’ve heard how _you_ two met, but how did you guys actually get together? Hiccup, you can be pretty absent-minded about your social life—”

“Hey!”

“—so I doubt you were the instigator.” She turned her gaze to Merida expectantly. Merida gulped. Hiccup rolled his eyes. He let his head fall back onto the beanbag and gestured for Merida to talk.

“Um, well, the next time I saw him, I just asked him if he wanted to get a coffee and chat. We sort of figured out when we had breaks and things, and we just . . . kept seeing each other around.”

She was _not_ going to say anything about them meeting up between classes whenever possible.

She was _not_ going to say how she sat at the same table every Tuesday and Thursday so Hiccup could find her and they could eat lunch together.

And she was _definitely_ not going to say how much time and effort she had put into planning out those things.

Tooth hummed, smiling mischievously, and Merida had the feeling that Tooth knew exactly what she wasn’t saying.

“What was your guys’ first date as a couple?” MK asked curiously, swatting Nod’s hands away from her shoulders. “Nod took me to a drive-in movie for ours.”

Merida and Hiccup looked at each other. It was weird to her that they hadn’t discussed being couple. It had just kind of _happened_.

“We did go to Zing Café a few weeks ago . . . ” Hiccup said, rubbing his chin.

Merida smiled. After about a month and a half of just meeting up on campus, he had asked her if she wanted to get lunch with him. He said they could ride his to one of his favorite cafés that weekend. He had been super nonchalant about it, too, only admitting after they left the café how nervous he had been, how he’d practiced asking her in the mirror.

That had also been when he had first kissed her, leaning over the booth table after they had laughed at their ridiculous foam mustaches. Then they had come to his apartment and made excellent use of the absence of his roommates. Merida remembered it all quite vividly, and she was pretty sure he remembered it, too, however vague he was being right now.

He gave her a quick wink and grinned.

Yeah, he remembered, all right. Merida did her level best not to blush.

“I think Tink told me about Zing café!” Tooth said, scooting forward on the couch. Her tiny foot caught Aster in the side, as he was currently half stretched out on the ground. She paid no mind to his pained gasp and continued, “Is it the one run by the cute young couple, with the posters and pictures from all over the world?” She absently patted the now-coughing Aster on the back.

“Oh, I’ve been there.” North said. “Little place, by gas station. _Magnificent_ pastries.” He patted his stomach and nodded sagely. Merida couldn’t help but smile. North was tall, dark, and handsome, with bright eyes and an immaculate beard, and could be quite intimidating if he wanted to be. He was absolutely ridiculous, though.

As the rest of them continued to talk about pastries and restaurants, Merida put her head against Hiccup’s shoulder. He put an arm around her and squeezed gently while telling Sandy about where to get the best chocolate croissants.

She couldn’t remember a Halloween she had enjoyed more than this one, surrounded by new friends.


	4. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup tells Merida about how he lost his leg.

Merida and Hiccup sat munching from the veggie-and-fruit double meal plate. It was warm inside Zing Café, a pleasant shelter from the sleet falling outside.

Johnny called out that their drinks were done, and Hiccup went to get them. While he was gone, Merida chewed thoughtfully on a stick of celery. He still hadn’t told her about how he lost his leg, and she wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want her to know or if it was just that it hadn’t been brought up yet.

He sat down, sliding her super-custom spicy dark creamy hot chocolate with whipped cream and a light dusting of chocolate shavings on top towards her. She ran a finger around the rim of the mug and casually asked, “So, how’d you lose your leg?”

His hands were suddenly incapable of holding a mug of coffee upright. He leapt up, hissing at the heat of the coffee now soaking into his shirt and pants.

Merida was _mortified._ She leapt up to grab some napkins from the utensil bar, chucking them in his direction. Johnny came out from the behind the counter to see what was going on (some other people had been startled and were now humming in sympathy).

Johnny raised his eyebrows. “Woah, man, tough luck. Here, I’ve got some extra stuff you can borrow . . .  ” Hiccup followed him back to the storage room.

Merida’s face was as red as her hair. _Well,_ she thought, _I think I’ll just entirely avoid asking him about that in the future._ She mopped up the mess with the napkins and settled back down at their booth. She slowly slurped her hot chocolate, which helped her feel considerably better, but she was still embarrassed when Hiccup came back.

He was dressed in different clothes that didn’t quite fit him. “Just bring ‘em back when you can, bro. And I’ll get you another drink, on the house,” Johnny called over his shoulder as he went back to the register.

Hiccup sat, and she was surprised to see he was blushing too. There was a moment of unbearably awkward silence, and then Hiccup chuckled. “So, that was pretty, ah . . . “

Merida cleared her throat. “Ay, quite,” she said, nodding. She stared intently at the chocolate shavings slowly sinking into the thick cream. She kept her hands wrapped firmly around the mug, which declared to be from Paris. It was quickly becoming the most riveting thing Merida had ever seen.

Hiccup reached across and covered her hands with his. “Hey,” he said softly. “I don’t mind that you asked. I was just . . . sort of startled.”

She looked up at him, cheeks still pink, her eyebrows raised. “You’re sure? Because—”

“ _Yes_ , I’m sure,” he said with a smile. She relaxed just a bit and took another sip. “To be honest, I thought I’d already told you about it.”

Johnny called out that Hiccup’s drink was done. He was up and back quickly, and he set the mug down with exaggerated care. Merida smiled at him.

“So,” he began. “The story of how I became an amputee.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Well, the short version of it is that I was in an accident. I don’t actually remember losing it, so I suppose that’s nice. Just woke up in the hospital without a leg.” He said it lightly, but Merida couldn’t find it in her to smile.

His expression slowly became something much more solemn than she had ever seen on him before. He leaned back against the padded booth seat and his eyes were a thousand miles away. “It’s never just as simple as that, though, is it?” he murmured.

Hiccup took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He looked at her then, straight on, and began, “When I was just getting ready to head in to high school, I was 14. I had skipped a grade, so almost everyone was older and taller than me.” He held out a hand to show how tall he’d been, but Merida’s eyes didn’t leave his face.

“I was feeling a bit out of place, and I didn’t think my dad was proud of me. I didn’t do sports or anything, just sort of did my own thing, which I was actually pretty happy with. But going into high school . . . I wanted more than anything to make my dad proud. So I sort of faked my way into the group of kids that I thought were coolest at my high school, thinking that if I could show my dad that I hung out with them, he’d be . . . I don’t really know, but I figured it would work. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing, but the kids seemed impressed by me, and I was in.”

His mouth twisted. “They were bad news, but I didn’t see that then. I was lucky I didn’t . . . anyway. So I’m with this group of kids at lunch one day, just a few weeks into the school year, and they decide to cut class and head down to the junkyard to hang out and mess around. The ‘coolest’ guy in the group, Red, said his parents were out of town and that he had the van. I also knew he didn’t have a license because he’d bragged about _that_ the week before. I didn’t bring it up, though, and no one else seemed to mind. I just went along with it.”

“So we ditch class. Some of the group went in someone else’s car, a kid who actually had his license, and before I could get in, Red had put an arm around my shoulders and said I could ride shotgun in his van. The other car had left before I could do anything.”

Hiccup took a long. Merida didn’t feel like she should say anything. He folded his hands on the table, leaning forward a bit. “The junkyard was maybe two miles from the school. Three turns.” His mouth twisted again. “Four stops.”

“We’re fine for the first bit. I mean, I was terrified, because I was pretty sure this was the second time Red had ever driven in his life. But he seemed to be doing ok, and we could see the other car turning onto the road to the junkyard down the road. And then he ran a stop sign.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “He ran the stop sign and a car hit the side the van on the passenger’s side. I remember looking at that car, seeing the fear in that driver’s eyes . . . I woke up in the hospital a day later, missing the lower half of my calf.”

He stuck his leg out of the booth and he and Merida just looked at it for a moment. You wouldn’t know it wasn’t the one he was born with just by looking at it, covered with denim and leather.

“All things considered,” he said, tucking his leg back under the table, “I was incredibly lucky. We all were. Red got in a lot of trouble—he had some kind of drug in the van, on top of everything else, and I haven’t seen or heard of him since.”

“So, I woke up in the hospital, like I said, and my dad and Gobber—he’s a good friend of my dad’s— were both sleeping on the chairs in the room. My dad . . . Gobber told me, about a year and a half later, that he had never seen my dad go so white so fast . . . he had to pry the phone from his hand to find out what was going on, because my dad couldn’t even speak.” He sighed again and rubbed a hand over his face. “That’s . . . my mom died because of a car accident. When my dad heard that _I’d_ been in an accident and that he needed to come to the hospital immediately, I think something broke inside of him. Gobber drove him to the hospital and stayed with him the whole time he was there . . . Gobber also told me that that was the only time he’d seen my dad cry.”

Hiccup looked up at Merida. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and he swore under his breath and made to wipe it away with the sleeve of the borrowed shirt. “I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

She waved his hands away and brushed it away herself. “Och, don’t say that. I just . . . your poor dad. He must’ve been so terrified, so worried about you.” Merida thought of her mother, and what would’ve happened if she had been in Hiccup’s place.

“Yeah,” he said softly. He reached across the table and grasped her hands tightly.

He suddenly smiled his most ridiculous smile, all teeth and squinted eyes. She snorted and lightly smacked his arm.

“You’re an idiot,” she said with a smile, picking up her drink again. He grinned and winked at her, picking up his own mug.

They finished their drinks in comfortable silence, their legs tangled up under the table.


	5. Tone of Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things continue to happen, as things are wont to do.

Merida strolled along with her earbuds in and a smile on her face. Her last professor had to cancel last minute (family emergency, something about a daughter deciding to move to Africa), and she was planning to surprise Hiccup while he was busy grading things for his class. She even had some sandwiches and energy drinks in her backpack for them—he’d be busy for a while yet, and she had some homework she needed to do.

She yanked open the doors to the library. The security guard gave her a nod as she walked through the sensors, and she headed for the stairs. It was lovely and quiet and warm. She climbed to the top floor, where Hiccup’s study-room-pseudo-office was. As she reached the open door, she could hear someone speaking to Hiccup.

“You know, Hiccup, ever since you left Berk, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you . . . ” It was a man’s voice, one she didn’t know.

“ _Really?_ Ah, well, I’m flattered, but—”

Merida rapped her knuckles on the door. The two men turned to look at her. “Hey,” she said as innocently as could be. “Am I interrupting?”

She had never seen Hiccup look so relieved. “Hey, _sweetheart_ ,” he said, inching out of the corner the other man had backed him into. Her eyebrows rose, but she kept her mouth shut. He gestured to the man standing close to him. “This is Dagur, an old _friend_ of mine.”

The other man stared at her. He had red hair sticking out under his black beanie, and his eyes were pale and sort of frightening. He suddenly smiled and stuck his hand out to her. “Nice to meet you.”

Merida, silently thanking her mother for those horrendous etiquette lessons, smiled brightly back and shook his hand firmly. “I’m Merida,” she said. “Hiccup is my boyfriend.”

She was almost positive she saw one of his eyes twitch. He turned to Hiccup and said, “Well, old friend, it was great to see you again.” He pulled out a card (presumably with his number on it) and put it on the table. “Give me a call if you want to meet up sometime.” With that, he shouldered his way past Merida and out the door.

Merida peaked out and watched to make sure he was out of range, then shut the door. Hiccup took a deep breath and fell into his chair. Then, groaning, he dropped his head onto the table. Merida chuckled and dumped her backpack on another chair. “Old lover come to win you back?” she teased, taking off her coat.

Hiccup didn’t move. “Ha ha,” he said flatly. “Hilarious.”

She smirked and began rummaging for the food in her backpack. “No, no, I’m completely serious,” she continued, tossing the paper bag on the table. “I didn’t realize I might have to fight people off to keep you as a boyfriend. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a girl, and, besides—”

She was cut off when Hiccup pulled her around and kissed her.

She smiled when he pulled away. His thumb touched the corner of her mouth as he smiled back. “There’s not a contest to win my hand or anything, if you’re wondering,” he teased, kissing the tip of her nose. He hugged her tightly then, murmuring in her ear, “But if there were, I’d rig it so you’d win.”

She gasped and shoved her way out of his hug. “You don’t think I’d win on my own? I’ll have you know I am a champion archer _and_ equestrian, with professional training in fencing and boxing. _And_ I’m deadly accurate with several different kinds of guns.”

Hiccup laughed. “Well, even if you didn’t win the contest, you’d definitely be able to eliminate the competition.”

Merida punched his shoulder. “Just sit down and get back to work, you great idiot!” she said, stomping over to her backpack.

He laughed and followed her, wrapping her from behind in a tight hug. “You’re amazing,” he said into her hair. “You’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met.”

She huffed. “Well, obviously, but I’m still mad at you.”

He pulled away. “Alright, alright.”

Merida glanced over her shoulder and watched him head back to his chair. A brilliant idea came to her and she bit back a smile. A quick turn, and then—

“ _DID YOU JUST SMACK MY_ —”

“Hush, _sweetheart_. We’re in a _library_.”

-~-

A few hours later, Merida had finished her readings and was on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

Hiccup groaned and something thudded against the table a few times.

“Doing alright?” she asked lightly, even though she knew he wasn’t.

“No,” he groaned. “I’ve got a headache and my leg is falling asleep and this kid has the worst handwriting I’ve ever seen.”

She smiled and said, “Your handwriting is pretty awful. Is it worse than yours?”

“Yeah, that’s really not helping.”

She rolled onto her side and pushed herself to her feet. “Do you want to call it day, then? You’ve done most of what you need to.” The pile of graded essays and project sketches was stacked neatly to the side, and all that remained was a few papers from the person with bad handwriting.

He glanced at the papers to be done. Merida rolled her eyes and started packing up.

“Hey, I didn’t say I was done yet,” he said.

“Well, I’m done, and I’m going home to go make some dinner.”

Hiccup grumbled and sank into his chair, glaring at the ungraded project sketch.

“Text if you want to come over,” she said as she pulled on her coat. “Rapunzel’s still on a pie kick. I could eat them all myself, but that’s probably not a good idea.”

Usually Hiccup would grin at her after she said something like that. Instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes screwed shut and said “’Kay” as she opened the door.

She didn’t really know what else to do, so she threw a “see you later” over her shoulder and set off for her apartment.

-~-

Jack was in her kitchen.

Rapunzel was cutting the positively delicious-smelling apple pie, and the white-haired young man was hovering near her with a plate, chattering away.

They both turned to look at her when the screen door slammed shut. Rapunzel managed to look both extremely embarrassed and extremely pleased with herself. Jack just grinned.

“Hey! Where’s your shadow?” he said.

“What, you mean Hiccup? He’s still got some stuff to do and a headache or whatever,” she shrugged, heading to her room.

She was surprised when Rapunzel followed her. “Hey,” the blonde said. “You okay?”

Merida waved her away. “I’m fine. Go eat your pie with Frosty.”

“I heard that!”

“You were meant to!”

Rapunzel smiled. “Okay. I’ll bring you a slice with some ice cream, though. I know apple’s your favorite!” She sashayed out.

Merida took the bowl when Rapunzel came back. “Thanks,” she said. “Would you catch the door? I think I’m going to turn in a bit early.”

As soon as the door clicked shut, Merida set the untouched pie on her desk and crawled into bed, grabbing a pillow and hugging it close.

Later, she was woken up by Rapunzel’s soft voice. She blinked up at her big green eyes and mumbled something that might’ve been a question.

“Jack’s gone now,” Rapunzel explained. “I can talk now, if you want.”

When Merida didn’t say anything, Rapunzel asked, “Do you want me to go?”

Merida shook her head slowly. Rapunzel sighed. “Well, sit up for just a sec—” and she hopped up, grabbed a pillow and blanket, and pulled Merida’s head down to rest on her leg. She grabbed the brush on the nightstand and began working it through the wild curls, humming gently.

After a while, Merida made a face. “I’m . . . I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to be a girlfriend. I know how to be a student, an archer, a sister . . . not a girlfriend.”

Rapunzel tapped her nose. “You realize I’m probably not the person to give you advice about this, right?”

“I don’t want advice. I just . . . well, I don’t know. Do you think we could Google it?”

“Probably! It might end up being sketchy, though!” Rapunzel giggled.

“What, you don’t trust popular opinions and oh-so-informative articles?” Merida teased, wrinkling her nose.

“Nah. I think . . . ” The brush stilled for a moment. “I think it just sort of . . . happens. Every person is different, so every relationship is different. You figure it out as you go, I guess.”

Merida sighed. “How come you’re so much _wiser_ than me? You’re at least four years younger.”

“I am gifted beyond my years,” Rapunzel stated with a solemn face. She kept the face as Merida laughed, but a giggle broke through when the redhead started snorting.

Merida sat up suddenly. “Hey, what was with Jack coming over?”

Rapunzel’s head whipped to the clock and back. “Well, what do you know, it’s time for me to—ah, do something important! Away from here!” She tried to scoot off the bed, but Merida caught her around the waist and pinned her down.

“Oh, no, lassie, you’re not going _anywhere_ until you tell me what was up with you and that white-haired punk.”

Rapunzel’s cheeks were pink. “Nothing was _up_ , he just came over for pie—”

“And how did he _know_ about there being pie?”

“Hiccup told him, I guess, but—”

“Oh ho ho, Hiccup told him about _pie_ , hm? Not about the sweet-spirited lass who wouldn’t turn him away? Not of the tragic beauty of the maiden locked away baking sweets for eternity?”

Rapunzel spluttered. “I’m no _tragic beauty_ , and I’m not locked away, I just don’t like going out with people.”

Merida huffed and let her go. “What a bunch of crap. You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met, and you’re absolutely stunning, so don’t even tell me there aren’t guys tripping over their own feet to ask you out, and don’t try telling me you don’t like at least _one_ of them.”

Rapunzel shoved off the bed. “It doesn’t matter, okay? It’s not any of your business, anyways.” She had left the room before Merida could say anything more.

-~-

The next day, Rapunzel’s classes went later than Merida’s, so as soon as the redhead was home, she scurried about the kitchen, hunting down the ingredients she needed to make a special treat for her roommate. She ignored the buzzing of her phone on the table—she was on a warpath of confectionary goodness, and she would not be distracted from her task.

When Rapunzel walked in, resembling a marshmallow in her cold weather wear, she was greeted by a contrite-looking Merida holding a small cake on a plate. “It’s a peace offering,” Merida said before Rapunzel could ask. “I’m sorry I was pushy last night. It was just weird to see someone over, and to have that someone be Jack.”

Rapunzel shucked her coat and took the plate. “I didn’t know you baked,” she said, eyeing the cake and poking it with the fork.

Merida rolled her eyes. “That’s because you never leave the oven open for me, you goose. I’m not completely useless in the kitchen.”

Rapunzel chuckled, then smiled sheepishly. “Sorry I clammed up last night. I’m just . . . not very good with people sometimes. Or friends. Or—”

Merida held up a hand. “Just eat the cake, alright?  No need to get mushy.”

The blonde grinned and took a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Hey, this is actually pretty good!”

“Why is it always the tone of surprise?” Merida muttered as she began cleaning up the counters.

Rapunzel laughed and sat down at the table to finish eating. “Uh, Merida, you’ve got at least three missed calls from Hiccup,” she said. “Oh—looks like a text from him, too,” she added when the phone buzzed again.

“What?” She walked over and picked up the phone. The text asked her to call when she could, and she was soon waiting for him to pick up on his end.

“Merida, you’re all right!” Hiccup answered, sounding relieved.

“Um, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I didn’t see you between classes, you weren’t at the table for lunch, and then you didn’t answer your phone, and Jack wouldn’t say if he saw you get home okay last night—”

She chuckled. “All right, all right, I’m fine, I promise! I just wanted to get home quick to make a treat for Rapunzel, and I guess I wasn’t thinking about anything else.”

“You can bake?”

She sighed indignantly. “ _Always_ the tone of surprise. _Yes_ , I can bake. _Yes_ , it’s edible. _No_ , there wasn’t any witchcraft involved. Honestly . . . ”

Hiccup laughed. “Well, hey, I finally finished up the grading. Do you want to go for a ride or something?”

She smiled. “Sure, but only if you let me drive this time.”

There was a pause. “Eh . . . ”

“What, don’t think I can steer a bike?”

“Well, no, it’s just . . . I’d rather you tried it out on a different bike. Mine’s all customized and gorgeous, and probably not the best to learn on.”

She huffed, but she was smiling. “You’re such a baby. Fine. But you’re going to have to teach me sooner or later.”

“You think your parents would be okay with that?”

“I’m an adult, I’m in a different country, and they’d never have to know.”

“And when I have to explain to them that their beloved daughter got smeared trying to ride a motorcycle?”

“ . . . That’s irrelevant and not likely to happen. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“’Kay. Bye.”

Rapunzel was smiling at her when she turned around.

“What?” Merida asked.

She shrugged and stood up to take to the plate to the sink. “You were all worked up for nothing last night, weren’t you?”

Merida rolled her eyes and pulled on her boots. “Yeah, so?”

“Nothing,” she teased, her eyes sparkling. “Have fun, be safe, all that good stuff.” She grabbed her backpack and headed to her room, and Merida waited to hear the roar of Hiccup’s motorcycle, a smile on her face.


	6. Aftermath of a Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup and Merida have a fight. Merida tries to calm down and figure out what to do next.

It was inevitable, really. Finals were coming up. Stress levels were running high. Hiccup had lots of stuff to do for the class he was teaching, and Merida was focusing on her studies, especially her political theory class. Life was still happening, regardless of their relationship.

Merida stormed through the door, muttering angrily. She was peripherally aware of Rapunzel sinking down into the couch and watching wide-eyed as she stomped to her room and slammed the door.

_Stupid_ Hiccup. _Stupid_ sarcastic, hopeless, occupied _Hiccup_.

She chucked her backpack at her desk and grabbed her running gear from the closet. There was a paper that needed to be edited and finalized and lots of reading to do, but in her state of mind, she wouldn’t get anything done.

As she headed out, still fuming, Rapunzel called timidly, “Be safe!”

_Ha_. Her sweet little roommate should’ve been worried about the safety of anyone that dared get in her way.

She jogged up the road to the running path and ran as fast as she could.

-~-

She walked home a few hours later. It was dark, long past midnight, the moon hidden by clouds, and there were no lights were on inside. She was glad tomorrow was Saturday—she needed a full eight hours of sleep to have even a semblance of normalcy, and the weekends were perfect for sleeping in.

Merida tried to be quiet as she got ready for bed, but Rapunzel stumbled out of her room anyway, rubbing her eyes and leaning on the doorframe.

“Hey,” the blonde said around a yawn, her hair free and brushing down to her knees. “Did you see the stuff on the table?”

“Ah, no, I didn’t turn the light on . . . ”

Rapunzel nodded slowly. “Well, you should look before you go to sleep.” She turned and wobbled back to her bed. “G’night.”

Merida briefly contemplated just going to sleep instead of checking out her mystery items. She scoffed, then headed back to the kitchen and turned on the light.

There was a flower in a mason jar and a bag of chocolate truffles.

She wrinkled her nose. _Really?_

She walked closer and saw that the flower was a thistle—the floral emblem of Scotland. It wasn’t considered pleasant to most, with its prickles and spines, and it was actually classified as a noxious weed, but it was a favorite of hers. The thin purple petals held beauty separate but complementary to the beauty of a flower able to defend itself. It reminded her a bit of her mum, actually.

The package of chocolate jauntily declared that it contained rich dark chocolate truffles with creamy centers. _Oh, mercy,_ she thought. _I just went for a run . . ._ She shrugged, opened the package, and took a bite from one of the chocolates. _Gorgeous._

There was a note as well, with ‘Merida’ scrawled across it. (Hiccup had the worst handwriting, and who else could this all be from?) She was hesitant about opening it; to be honest, she was still upset.

Curiosity got the better of her, though. There wasn’t much written on the paper, and it was rather hard to read. He apologized in it for being caught up in evaluating the projects for his class and for his rudeness. He told her to call him later to tell him how to make it up to her. (She was pretty sure that his roommates had helped him out with planning this little peace offering.)

Drat. She set the paper next to the jar, popped the rest of the chocolate in her mouth, and put her hands on her hips. He got her favorite kind of chocolate and even managed to make her feel a bit nostalgic for home. She sighed and rubbed her forehead, then walked to her room. Maybe it would be easier to think about in the morning.

-~-

Rapunzel made breakfast the next morning, and Merida was pulled into the kitchen by the smell of bacon.

“I hung out with Jack again yesterday,” Rapunzel said, gesturing to the pile of pancakes and bacon next to a bottle of homemade syrup. “He’s not as bad as you said he was.”

Merida rolled her eyes and grabbed a plate. “That’s just because it was you. _Everyone’s_ nice to you.”

Rapunzel giggled and filled her plate, then walked with Merida to sit on the couch. “Whatever. _You’re_ not nice to me,” she teased, bumping their shoulders together.

“That’s because I have to share a bathroom with you,” Merida retorted through a mouthful of syrupy pancake, a smile on her face.

They laughed and ate, teasing each other about their habits around the apartment. As they rinsed off the dishes, Merida asked, “Is there a reason you keep your hair so long? I mean, if you don’t put it up, you’re in danger of sitting on it, and I was just wondering if there was a reason.”

Rapunzel pointedly didn’t look at her and shrugged a shoulder. “Oh, you know, just because,” she said, her voice too high.

_That_ was suspicious. Merida was about to ask another question when Rapunzel’s phone went off. “Oh!” she cried. “That’ll be my mom!” She rushed to her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Merida narrowed her eyes and put the plates back in the cupboard. She’d find out what was up with her roommate and her ultra-long hair. It was just a matter of time . . .

-~-

She got a text from Hiccup in the afternoon, asking if he could come over. She sighed and moaned and rolled around on the couch, then on the floor, until Rapunzel walked out and stared at her.

“Doing alright there?” she asked, one delicate little eyebrow raised.

Merida groaned again and threw her hands in the air. “It’s just— _Hiccup_!”

Rapunzel brightened. “Oh, does he want to come over? Tell him to bring Jack. I’ve been wanted to do a double or something.” She seemed unaware of Merida’s dumbfounded expression.

She gasped and continued, “We can have an indoor picnic! And then go get hot chocolate at the gas station! I’ll start making the sandwiches. You can cut the veggies, I think I bought some celery and carrots—do you think Jack likes carrots? He likes carrot _cake_ , but that’s hardly the same thing. Oh, this’ll be so fun! Tell them to be here in half an hour, ready to eat!”

Merida continued gaping at her as she danced around the kitchen, grabbing bread and jars of jam and peanut butter.

Rapunzel suddenly snapped her head towards her, knife in hand. “Well, what are you waiting for? Send the text, then get your rear in gear! Oh, maybe ask them to bring drinks. I’m not legal yet, so no alcohol for me, please. Some apple juice would be simply divine, though.” She continued chattering as she started piling jam onto pieces of bread.

Merida sighed and looked down at the little screen. Then, taking a deep breath and hoping this wasn’t a really bad idea, she tapped out Rapunzel’s requests. Her thumb hovered over ‘send.’ Maybe she could just lie to Rapunzel and say the boys were both sick, or had prior commitments, or that they had suddenly both decided to move to South Africa, or . . .

She bit her lip. Hiccup’s presents to her had been nice, but that didn’t negate the fact that he had been rude and snappy and oblivious to anything but grading for his student-teaching class. And that she had been mean and maybe a bit harsh and caught up in her paper. It was embarrassing to think about—she had gotten better at controlling her temper and not acting out of anger, but Hiccup got under her skin like no one ever had.

Maybe she could talk to him when they were walking to the gas station (none of them had a car, and Hiccup’s bike only fit two if you squinted right). She didn’t know what she would say, but . . . she did like spending time with him. He made her laugh, and she made him laugh, and there wasn’t a hug quite like his. He was worth apologizing to, at least as a friend and someone she respected. And he seemed willing to admit he was in the wrong as well.

Nodding resolutely, she tapped send, then stood and walked to the fridge to grab the vegetables.


	7. Talk it Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carrots and apologies.

The picnic was, thankfully, minimally awkward.

Jack _did_ like carrots, which led to him telling Rapunzel about Aster, his and Hiccup's friend. He was an artist who painted and sculpted decorated eggs, and Jack liked to tease the tall, athletic man about being an Aussie Easter Bunny. Jack had discovered his love of carrots after playing a confusingly elaborate prank on him.

Rapunzel was practically glowing with laughter.

When the sandwiches were gone, they bundled up and headed out into the frigid December air. Jack hardly looked warm enough in just his blue hoodie, but he insisted he was fine. Merida saw the scheming look in her roommate's eye and knew Jack would find himself with a new hand-knit scarf shortly.

Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back a bit from Jack and Rapunzel. He dropped his hand quickly and tucked it back into this pocket, and Merida had the briefest moment of wishing she had grabbed his hand.

_Daft, that's what this is. It’s not like me to lose my wits over a lad. Oh, what would my dad say if he knew?_

"Did you get like the chocolates?" he asked. She could hear the smile he was attempting, but it didn't reach his eyes, and that was all she could see over the green scarf.

She nodded. "How did you know those were my favorite?" Her words became little clouds of warm air in front of her face.

He shrugged. "You always get dark chocolate treats when we eat out."

Oh. Well, it was true.

He cleared his throat. "So, I know I can get, ah, pretty wrapped up in work I'm doing. And I when I'm focused, it can hard to pick up on hints or other people's emotions. So, um . . . sorry. For that."

Merida's words left her. She’d planned out her own little speech, all about respect and communication and a bit of an apology, and it flitted out of her head like a snowflake in a storm. “I am too. Sorry, I mean. For losing my temper. You’re doing your best, we both are, and I was just . . . nervous, frustrated, upset. My Roman Lit class is giving me a run for my money. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

Hiccup’s eyes crinkled in a smile, a real one. Merida felt warm, despite the cold. After walking for a bit in silence, Hiccup asked, “So . . . we’re good?”

Merida threw back her head and laughed.


	8. Asking for the Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions are asked and plans are made.

“So . . . my dad wants to meet you,” Hiccup said. They were in the front room of Merida’s apartment. Merida was sprawled on the couch. Hiccup was sitting on the floor by her head with a textbook on his knees.

She hummed and turned her head a bit. The house was warm, the couch was comfy, and she was perfectly happy here.

“Yup,” he continued. “I was talking to him the other day, and dating came up, and now he wants to meet you.”

Merida smiled a bit. “He wants to make sure I’m real?”

Hiccup snorted. “Yeah, maybe. I wouldn’t put it past myself to make up a story to get him to stop nagging me about dating, but I’m pretty sure you’re real.” He turned and narrowed his eyes at her. “You are real, right? I’m not living some weirdly awesome hallucination?”

She chuckled and ruffled his hair. “’Course I’m real. Dear lamb . . . ” She snuggled back into the cushions and closed her eyes. After a minute or so she heard him sigh. Cracking an eye open, she asked, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

He didn’t say anything. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and raised an eyebrow. He was staring unseeingly at the opposite wall.

“I’m no mind reader, you know.”

He started and his eyes snapped to her face. “Sorry. Just, ah, thinking.”

She rolled her eyes and slid off the couch to sit next to him. “Obviously. What about, though?”

“Well . . . ,” he said slowly, “It’s a question.”

She tilted her head and smiled up at him playfully. “What sort of question?”

He reached out to take her hand and slipped his fingers between hers. “A good one.”

She nodded sagely. “Good questions are good.” Hiccup’s deadpan look at her statement sent her into a fit of giggles. “Really, though, what is it?”

“Would you like to come to Berk sometime over the break?” he asked, looking at their hands.

She inhaled slowly. “Ah, like, for—”

“To meet my dad. And Gobber. And Toothless.” He was looking at her face now.

“Your dog?” she asked with a smile. “And . . . well, that’s sort of your whole family, isn’t it?”

He nodded, but his lips were pursed, and she knew he was waiting for an answer.

“Um . . . well, I’d have to check with my mum to see when would be a good time. She likes to have everything planned in advance, so she’d probably know already when would be best. I could do that now, if that’s alright.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “What, you’ll come?”

She shrugged. “Well, yeah, of course. I’d love to meet your family, and it’ll be great to spend some time with you when we don’t have classes.”

He beamed at her. It was making her a bit self-conscious, and goodness sakes, could his eyes be any more beautiful?

“I’ll just, um, give her a quick call, okay?” she blurted, jumping to her feet and pulling out her phone. She hurried around the corner and pressed a hand to her cheek. Burning. Of course her face would give her away. She shook her head and pushed the right buttons to call her mum.

-~-

To say that her mother was enthusiastic about the idea would be an understatement.

“Oh, darling, this is wonderful! I can hardly believe it—well, of course I believe it. I can’t believe it’s taken so long for—”

“Mum!” Merida said, still blushing.

“Honestly, I’m just so excited! Now, let me get to my calendar.” Paper shuffled on the other side of the line. Elinor muttered to herself, “Hm, that won’t do. And we can probably move this to a week earlier . . . well, I’d like you to be here for Christmas. Is that alright?”

“Sure thing, mum. It’d be weird not to be home for that.” She straightened the corner on her bed’s comforter and smiled. It was a quilt she’d made with her mother, and she could almost hear their laughter as Elinor tried to show Merida how to make small stitches. It wasn’t a very pretty quilt, with mismatched edges and puckered fabric, but it reminded Merida of how similar she and her mother actually were.

“I think the weekend of New Years would be good for you to go, dear. It would be fun to spend a holiday with his family!” There was a pause. “Actually, who is his family? I should—”

“Mum, please. I’m twenty-two, and I’m not defenseless. Besides, his dad sounds really nice. A bit like Da, I think.”

Elinor chuckled. “Well, he can’t be all that bad, then.”

“Thanks for helping me figure this out. It’s . . . kind of strange to think about. Boyfriend and all . . . ”

Elinor didn’t say anything for a moment. It was a pregnant pause, and Merida waited for whatever question would come.

“Darling . . . perhaps he’d like to come visit us as well?”

Merida’s eyebrows rose high on her forehead. “Um. I don’t . . . well, I hadn’t . . . ”

“We could pay the fare for him, here and to his home, so that won’t be an inconvenience for him.”

“Mum, wait—“

“And I’ll have to make sure we have a guest room ready.”

“Would you just—?”

“Oh! And food. Does he have any allergies?

“Mum!”

“Yes, dear?” Her voice was infuriatingly calm.

“I haven’t even asked the lad if he wants to come!” Merida hissed into the phone. Could Hiccup hear her in the front room? “Could you hold off on planning everything?”

“Oh, of course, dear. He’s there now, isn’t he? Go ahead and ask. Text me when he says yes, and I’ll get everything arranged.”

“ _If,_ mum, not _when_.”

“If you say so, dear. Good luck!” They said their goodbyes, and Merida was left standing in her room, clutching her phone to her chest, feeling very small.

_Right. Just . . . ask the question. Just walk right out and ask the question like a normal, un-nervous person. Easy as that. On three, you’re going to walk out. Yup._

_One, two . . . three . . ._

She walked through the kitchen and shuffled to the couch. Hiccup looked up from his textbook and grinned.

“Are we a-go?” he asked, giving a thumbs up.

“Hm? Oh, right, yes. She said New Years weekend would be a good time. Is that ok?” She’d nearly forgotten the reason she’d called her mum in the first place.

His grin stretched to a full smile, showing off his slightly-crooked teeth. “Great! I’ll let my dad know later. We’ll be ready for you.”

Merida shifted her weight and folded her arms tight against her chest. “Um, yeah. Hiccup, I was wondering if . . . well, that is, my mum was wondering—“

The door crashed open with a burst of cold air and laughter and Merida leaped away from it like a startled deer. Jack and Rapunzel staggered in, nearly falling to the ground, they were laughing so hard. Jack was covered in snow, and he shook his hair like a dog, spraying droplets of cold water everywhere. Rapunzel shrieked and held up her hands to block the drops, still smiling.

“Oh, hey, guys!” Jack said with another laugh. “Just dropping by to—“

Rapunzel straightened. “Oh, right! I’ll go get it. Hang tight!” She scampered to her room and came back with a pile of knitted blue and white yarn. “Your scarf!”

Merida smiled as she watched Rapunzel wind it snugly around his neck, tucking the ends in. Jack was protesting a bit, saying that he didn’t get cold, but he left the scarf on and his cheeks were a bit pink. Of course, that may have just been from the snow.

They left as quickly as they came, shutting the door and leaving the room in startling silence.

“They’re getting along well,” Merida observed.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. “Jack is a flirt, Mer. I’ve known the guy for years. Hangs out with lots of girls, but when it starts to look like a more than a close friendship, he slips out of it.”

Merida bit her lip. Rapunzel was just so _innocent_. “I hope it’s different. Rapunzel, she’s . . . not delicate or anything, but . . . “

“You don’t want to see her get hurt?”

Merida looked down to see that Hiccup had put his textbook aside and was looking at her contemplatively. She shrugged and nodded. “She’s a sweet lass. Not much experience with guys, even as friends.” She smiled. “And how can you not like someone who makes you pancakes with _homemade_ _syrup_?”

Hiccup chuckled and pushed himself up so he was sitting on the couch. He held his arms open for her, and Merida smiled and quickly snuggled next to him. They sat in warm silence for a few minutes.

“You were asking me something, I think,” he said softly, burying his face in her mass of red curls.

“Oh. Right. Um, well . . . how would you like to, ah, spend Christmas with my family? In Scotland, that is.” She bit her lip to keep anything else from coming out. She knew she could ramble when she was nervous.

Really, though, what was there to be nervous about? If he said no, it wasn’t the end of the world. He probably had his own family traditions he wanted to keep. And it was out of the way for him. His answer wasn’t a reflection of his feelings about her, she told herself. It was just a yes or a no.

He hummed. “Scotland,” he said softly, as if considering it.

“My mum wants to pay for air fare, so it won’t be inconvenient that way,” she blurted out. “And there would be a guest room for you. But don’t feel obligated or anything, because—”

“Shh,” he hushed, pulling her closer. “I was just thinking.” There was a longer pause, and Hiccup played with the end of one of her curls. “That . . . would be nice. I’d love to go.”

Merida wiggled around so she was looking at him. “Really? You’re not just saying that? Because if you don’t want to, I totally understand.”

He smiled and tilted his head to the side. “Would I just say that? Mer, I _do_ want to go. It’d be great. I’m sure my dad will understand.”

She found herself grinning. “Well then. Okay. I guess . . . okay.” She snuggled back under his arm. Thinking back on the conversation, she realized something.

“Wait. Did you call me _Mer?”_


	9. Christmas Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas dinner at the Dunbroch household.

Merida wanted to die. Her face was burning, surely as red as her hair, and she thought it would be a blessing if she spontaneously combusted.

Hiccup sat ramrod straight in his chair, fork halfway to his mouth, which was hanging open. “Um . . . sorry, what?” he said, blinking. He sounded a bit strangled.

Merida sunk down in her chair as her uncle Dingwall repeated his question, apparently unaware of how absolutely and totally inappropriate it was. Or maybe he took some sort of sick pleasure in asking twenty-somethings about their intimate life with his niece.

Hiccup’s ears started turning red. “We . . . that is, I . . . um . . . “ He turned to Merida with wide eyes. His knuckles were going white on the fork. She refused to meet his eyes.

Her mom bustled in. Saved!

Elinor took one look at Merida’s red face and Hiccup’s evident discomfort and turned on Dingwall, berating him for making the family dinner awkward. Everyone else at the table looked torn between being embarrassed and really amused.

Merida finally got the courage to look to her left, where Hiccup was staring down at his food, ears still red. She tapped his arm to get his attention. The look of complete horror on his face made her bite back a laugh. She thumbed over her shoulder to the front room, and Hiccup was nodding when her mother said, “Oh, no you don’t. We are all sitting here and finishing dinner together. Understand?”

There was a lot of contrite nodding. Merida made a face.

Elinor nodded once. “Good. Now, Fergus is getting the extra rolls out of the oven. I'm going to find where the boys have wandered off to. Merida, you're going to tell everyone about your latest semester of college. And you--" she said, whirling to face her uncles, somehow managing to glare at each of them simultaneously, "--are going to listen quietly and politely."

Mumbles and nods answered her. Elinor, evidently satisfied that the family dinner wasn't a complete disaster, turned to walk upstairs to find the triplets. Merida heard her muttering under her breath about scaring away houseguests.

Merida cleared her throat and started in on her semester. She gave the bare minimum of how she and Hiccup met, and talked a bit about what he was studying before going into detail on some of her harder classes. As she glanced at Hiccup, she saw his ears were still quite red. She slowly slid her hand over to rest on his knee, and he grabbed it, intertwining their fingers. She didn't pull away when her da came in with a basket of rolls, even though a part of her felt like she had been caught doing something bad. I can hold my boyfriend's hand, she told herself. Nothing wrong with that. When her brothers tumbled into the dining room, her mum close on their heels, she saw her parents share a look and felt a embarrassed all over again. At least they didn’t say anything about her not-so-sneaky hand holding.

"Well, then," her mum said, when everyone was seated. "That's much better. Mackenzie, what's this I hear about a music career?"

And everything was fine. She felt Hiccup relax as the conversation around the table continued, and she turned to smile at him.

\--

Later, the two of them sat in the upstairs game room, playing Mario Kart. Merida laughed as Hiccup's cart fell off the side of Rainbow Bride again, and he started throwing pillows at her.

"Interference!" she shrieked, still laughing. "Foul! Foul!"

When he ran out of pillows, Hiccup threw himself at her, shoving her off her beanbag and tickling her until she threw the controller to the side to retaliate.

Unfortunately for Hiccup, Merida was pretty much a pro at kicking butt, no matter what the game was.

Once he was pinned, Merida kissed his cheek. "No one likes a sore loser, wee lamb of mine."

He huffed and tried to free himself. “Yeah, well, no one likes losing for the millionth time.” He stopped struggling and sighed.

Merida let him up, and they sat on the carpet with their backs against a couch. Delighted screaming sounded from downstairs, and Merida heard her father roaring, “BOYS!”

Hiccup pulled her close and nuzzled her hair. “So,” he said, “your family. They’re, um…”

“Wild? Inappropriate? Embarrassing?”

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess. They’re family, though, right? That’s sort of how they are.”

“I’m sorry about Uncle Dingwall. That was probably as bad as it will get, and my mum will keep him in line if we stick close to her.”

He shrugged. “Eh. It was just...well, the strangest thing I’ve ever been asked. I'm probably not going to be scarred for life too badly.”

They sat a little while longer, just enjoying being close to each other. Hiccup was wearing whatever heavenly cologne it was that she loved so much, and she was trying to breathe it in as discreetly as possible.

“Merry Christmas, Hiccup,” she said, burrowing her nose into his sweater.

He brushed her hair back so he could kiss her forehead. “Merry Christmas.”

 


	10. New Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Years at the Haddock household.

Gobber was there to pick them up from the airport. He gave Merida a hug, which was a bit surprising, and started talking in such a wonderful brogue that Merida decided she would keep him as an honorary uncle. Hiccup laughed when she told him so.

Their house was sort of a cabin, if cabins had every modern convenience. "I did the sound systems myself," Hiccup told her as he gave her a tour. "Gobber loves it. He plays music he knows my dad will hate in every room my dad's in. Dad can't figure out how to turn it off most of the time."

It was another hour or so before Stoick would be home and they'd have dinner, so Hiccup pulled Merida to the small room he called his "office." Toothless, Hiccup's giant black dog, was sleeping there, and when he woke up and saw his human was back, he started barking and spinning and headbutting Hiccup, who laughed and tackled his dog.

Merida chuckled at their display of affection and turned her attention to the drawings that lined the walls. They were . . . wonderful. She smiled and pressed a hand to her heart. Even though they were just drawings, and some of them seemed a bit silly and impractical, they showed Hiccup's creativity and brilliance, and she was proud of him.

Something bumped against the back of her leg, and she reached down to scratch Toothless behind his ears.

After an hour of sitting and talking (and maybe some kissing), Gobber called that it was dinner time. Merida was a bit nervous to meet Stoick and wanted to make a good impression.

She needn’t have worried. Hiccup's dad was built just like her da—kind of like a block of stone—and smiled and pulled her into a hug. She liked him already.

To her complete and utter astonishment, when Hiccup introduced her to his dad, _he didn't sound American._ He sounded—well, not completely Scottish, but nearly. And his dad called him Henry.

“Henry?” she asked with a grin as they sat on a couch in the living room after dinner. Gobber and Stoick had gone back to the kitchen and were baking something (or, rather, Gobber baked while Stoick talked).

Hiccup’s face burned and he looked a bit away from her. “Um, yeah, it’s my given name.”

She leaned over to catch his eye again. “And you go by _Hiccup?_ ”

“ . . . Yes.”

She laughed until she snorted. “Oh, I bet there’s a story behind it!”

He shrugged. “Nah, just a childhood nickname that stuck. Nothing too special.”

She was still giggling. “And—and then—you sounded a wee bit—my wee lamb, _dearest Henry_ , you sounded Scottish earlier!”

Hiccup sighed and stood up from the couch. His socks muffled his footsteps as he walked to the large bookcases on one wall. Although every knickknack on the shelves was perfectly dusted and placed, he started moving them.

Merida suddenly felt . . . well, maybe she had pushed too far? “Hic, I’m sorry, I was just-just teasing. Just happy. I didn’t…” She tugged a hand through her hair. Oh gosh, couldn’t she apologize like a normal person? She wasn’t sure what she was trying to apologize for specifically. She just didn’t want him to feel bad.

And then came the little shiver of fear. What if he was really upset? What if he didn’t want her anymore? They couldn’t break up _now,_ her plane didn’t come for another two days—

“Have you ever . . . not been proud to be Scottish?” Hiccup said softly, half-facing her.

Her train of thought derailed. “Uh, well, no.” It was true. She loved her home, her history.

“Well . . . this town—Berk, that is—we’ve got a lot of Scottish heritage. Which is great, you know, for holidays and traditions and things. But, we, uh…” He trailed off, fiddling with a figurine.

Merida felt silly sitting down when he was standing, so she rose and pattered over to him.

“ . . . there was a real push, a while ago, for ‘progress’ and sort of . . . moving on? I’m not sure what started it, but the younger generation—us, that is, my age group—it was sort of really . . . bad, to be anything but . . . not . . . ” He sighed, and it hurt to see him lost in memories he didn’t really want to remember. “Whatever cultural pride I had was beaten out of me from 6th grade to graduation.”

Merida found her hand on Hiccup’s elbow. What was her hand doing? Was she supporting him, maybe? This story was making her sad. Why we're all of Hiccup’s stories so sad?

He gave a little huff of laughter. “Geez, sorry. My stories are the worst. You’ve got your crazy brothers and family, and I’ve just got . . . problems.”

Alright, the hand-on-elbow obviously wasn’t cutting it. She moved to hug him full-on, pressing her face into his (appropriately ridiculous) winter sweater. “I’ve got problems, too, you know. We all do, on this world. Just different ones. And I’m here for you, Hiccup Henry Haddock.”

His arms wrapped around her, and she felt him sigh into her hair. “Merry Merida Dunbroch.”

“Horrendous Hiccup Henry Haddock,” she countered.

“Ha. Um, Marvelous Merry Miss Merida.” She felt his fingers tap out the number of words on her back.

She rubbed her nose against his chest. “Horrendous Hiccup Henry Haddock . . . the THIRD.”

They laughed and hugged, Hiccup swaying them from side to side. Classic jazz played from down the hall, the smell of baking was in the air, and the chill of the little town of Berk, Maine, was kept far away from their moment with each other.

One song stopped, another started. Merida smiled and moved their hands so they were in a more traditional dancing position. His hands were huge compared to hers, and her fingers looked so dainty. If anyone else were to have pointed this out to her, she would have punched them, of course, but the differences she saw in their hands gave her nothing but happiness.

He hummed, and she looked up to see him also considering their hands. Their feet continued to move, back and forth, in a simple pattern. “Sometimes I feel so rough compared to you,” he said.

She snorted softly. “You have callouses from pencils and tinkering. I have callouses from archery and horse riding. Rough in different places. See?” She pulled her right hand from his and wiggled her fingers to display the little patches of hard skin. “They’re never bad, but they’re there.” She fitted their hands back together and laid her head back on his chest.

Mm, that cologne. She sighed and closer her eyes. “And I love you just the way you are, dear lamb. All the bits and bobs that make you . . . well, Hiccup.”

He stilled.

Wait, had she said something wrong? She replayed the last half-minute in her head.

Oh.

Oh, crap.

Oh, _crap-crappity-so-many-swear-words-_

Her brain was no longer responding.

“You . . . ,” Hiccup began, and Merida was screaming on the inside. “You, um . . . heh.” And he held her tighter and nuzzled into her hair to kiss her ear. “I love you just the way you are too, Mer. All the . . . all the curls and arrowheads, I guess.”

The screaming in her head didn’t go away, but rather changed from “panicking” to “ecstatic.”

She peaked up at him. She loved how tall he was. She loved how his eyes squinted at the corners when he smiled. She loved his expressiveness and passion. She loved how he was looking at her right now, so open and warm. She loved, she loved, she loved—

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. She felt him laugh and wrap his arms around her waist. He broke off to press little kisses to her cheeks and nose, which had her giggling.

She felt ridiculous. She felt wonderful.

A deep voice cleared its throat from the hallway and the shining moment screeched to a stop.

It was Gobber— _thank goodness, not his dad, that would’ve been too embarrassing._ He was leaning against the doorframe with a sly smile on his face. “Just wanted to let you two know that the muffins are ready,” he said. “And that Stoick's looking forward to playing some board games, so you two should, ah . . . work on picking some out for us.”

There were some awkward chuckles and “you got it’s” and shuffling so they were just sort of . . . standing next to each other with their arms around each other. Gobber gave them a wink and walked back to the kitchen.

Hiccup let out a breath and sagged against her. “Wow. Sorry, I just forgot…”

“Other people?” Merida supplied, grinning up at him.

He laughed and kissed her cheek. “Yeah. Those.”

He walked over to a trunk of games, and Merida’s phone went off. She was surprised—she hadn’t gotten many texts over the break, not that she minded. It was from Jack.

_> Hey, Merida. Sorry to bug you. I hope you’re having fun! I was just wondering if you’ve heard anything from Rapunzel since you left. She hasn’t responded to anything of mine, and I just wanted to make sure she’s safe.<_

She frowned—she hadn’t heard a peep from her roommate. Also, she was slightly surprised at Jack’s good spelling and grammar. > _No, I haven’t. I’ll check right now. <_

She sent a text to Rapunzel.

“What’s up?” Hiccup asked as she joined him next to the trunk.

“Oh, that was Jack. He was wondering if I’ve heard anything from Rapunzel.” Hiccup nodded and asked if she’d rather play a dice game, a card game, or a board game. They settled on cards and walked to the kitchen.

After thirty minutes and a warm muffin, Merida was antsy. “I’m going to call,” she said as she walked back into the hallway, “just to check.” The call went straight to voicemail, and Merida looked at the reflective glass of her phone for a moment. “Maybe . . . maybe her battery is dead.” Which would be strange. Rapunzel kept her devices charged almost religiously.

Merida felt a frown twist her face. She had thought that Rapunzel might be avoiding Jack. It would be understandable, since the girl was nervous and didn’t like hurting people’s feelings if they’d gotten into an argument or something, but she had never avoided Merida. And if her phone was dead . . .

“Stop freaking out,” she whispered to herself, even as she felt her heart hammering. “This is different. Everything’s fine. Everyone’s fine.”

After a moment of debate, she called Jack.

“Merida?”

“Hey, Jack.” Ugh, phones calls were always awkward. “Um, I think Rapunzel’s phone might be dead or something. My calls went to voicemail. Do you—are you close to our apartment?”

“Yeah, yeah. I stayed here with the guys. Do you want to me to run by and check?”

“Maybe. She was planning on spending the break at the apartment. I got the feeling the holidays weren’t very, ah, happy, at her house.” She felt arms wrap around her from behind and she leaned into Hiccup’s support.

“I’ll check, I’ll get North to take me in his truck, we’ll be there in ten minutes—I’ll call you back, ok?”

“Ok. Thanks, Jack. Tell North to drive safe and watch out for ice.”

Jack laughed, and she could feel Hiccup’s chuckle. “He lives in Russia, Merida. He knows how to drive in winter.”

Merida smiled, despite herself. “Alright, then get on with it.”

She hung up and sighed.

“Rapunzel will be fine, Merida. She probably ended up going back home.” Hiccup rubbed a hand down her arm.

Merida nodded, but she still frowned. She had a feeling—a horrible, cold feeling curling in her gut—and she hoped with all her heart that her roommate was safe.


	11. Rapunzel, Rapunzel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel is missing?

It was hard not to worry.

Jack had called back and said no one was home, and everything looked locked up and in place. He would come back the next day and check again.

Hiccup tried to reassure Merida. It wasn’t like they could do anything from Maine, anyway. Rapunzel didn’t have social media accounts to connect with, no one knew her email, and her phone still went straight to voicemail.

Merida knew he was trying to help, but she couldn’t help bursting through the door as soon as she got to her apartment and calling, “Rapunzel? You here?” No one responded. The heater was off, the lights were out, and everything was clean as a whistle. Merida took a deep breath.

She turned on the heater and the lights as Hiccup carried one of her bags in. “Mer, please.”

“I’m worried, Hiccup, I can’t help it. If she’s in trouble, if she can’t call anyone for help…”

Hiccup put her bag next to the couch and walked over, grabbing her shoulders. “Hey. Calm down. It’s okay.”

Rapunzel was just so... _Rapunzel._ She was technically an adult, but there was something so childlike about her. Merida was worried that she’d trust the wrong people, get involved in something she didn’t want or understand. Her little blonde roommate was vulnerable in a way, and desperate for love and friendship, and Merida knew there were people who would take advantage of that.

She sighed. “I’m...I’m sorry. I know she’s probably just with her mum. I can’t help feeling like something’s _wrong_ , though.”

Hiccup smiled at her. “A feeling, huh? Does your hair have magic powers or something?”

Merida snorted and shoved him a little. “Oh, shut up, _Henry_.”

“No, no, I’m serious! Does it tell the future? Can you get radio waves from outer space?” He started to tickle her sides. “Can it work like a homing beacon?” Merida laughed and swatted at his hands. “I bet it can locate treasure and stuff. The more it curls, the closer you are, right?” He had her pinned against the counter, a goofy smile on his face.

“You’re ridiculous!” she gasped between laughs.

Hiccup chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling into her hair. “It must be magic, though. It’s too pretty, and it smells so nice.”

Merida’s grin grew even wider. He liked how her hair smelled? “Well, maybe it’s a little bit magic,” she giggled. “How else would it defy gravity like this?”

* * *

 

School started the following Monday, and Rapunzel still hadn’t come back. Merida was starting to worry about the rent. Would it be totally out of bounds to check Rapunzel’s room for clues?

It took about an hour of deliberation before Merida decided it was worth investigating

Her room looked like it normally did, so she hadn’t moved out suddenly. No note left behind. No convenient check for $500 made out to the apartment’s owner. Just...nothing.

Merida groaned. It was lonely here with no roommate. And a bit creepy.

She called Hiccup and asked if he wanted to come over and keep her company, and he told her he’d be there in ten minutes.

She flopped onto the couch after grabbing an apple from the counter, sighing.

No sooner than she bit into the apple, there was frantic banging at the door. Merida’s heart leapt to her throat and she coughed as the apple tried to go down the wrong tube.

Carefully, quietly, she made her way from the couch to the peephole of the door. She briefly lamented not having a bat of some kind handy. The distorted person pounding their fists against the door wasn’t anyone Merida knew.

Except—those big green eyes, and that nose. Could it be?

“ _Merida!”_ the person cried. “ _Merida, please, let me in!”_

That was Rapunzel’s voice. Merida unlocked the door and flung it open. Her roommate, who looked rather different than usual, stumbled in and landed against the wall across from the door, shivering with wide eyes.

“Rapunzel! You’re okay! Oh, thank goodness, I was worrying up a storm!” Merida shut the door and locked it, then took a closer look at her friend.

The long blonde hair was cut short and dyed brown. Her clothes looked...ratty. Actually, all of her looked ratty. Dirty and, eugh, smelly. She had dark eye makeup on, and it was streaked from tears.

Rapunzel slid down the wall to curl up in a little ball on the floor, thin fingers clenched until the bones stood out.

“Merida...oh, Merida, it was awful…”

Crap. Merida wanted some goon she could beat up to make it better. What are you supposed to do with a crying person?

“Are you...what...um...do you want to shower?” Merida asked, so many levels of unsure.

Rapunzel looked up at her. Her eyes were red now. “Yes, actually. That’d be really nice.”

And off she went, and Merida was wondering if there was someone she needed to call.

A knock against the door brought her back from her thoughts. It was Hiccup.

“Rapunzel’s back,” Merida said softly. “But I don’t think she’s okay. I don’t really know what to do.”

She sat on the couch and Hiccup sat next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll figure it out, all right?”

* * *

 

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Rapunzel said, her hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate. “If that’s alright. I kind of just...want to forget it ever happened.”

Merida wanted to scream. How were they supposed to help if they didn’t know what was wrong?

“Sure. Whatever you want. Just know that we’re here for you,” Hiccup said.

Merida looked at him, eyes wide in an “Are you kidding me right now?” sort of way. What if she was sick? Or was being followed by a gang? Or accidently got involved in a robbery and was running from the cops?

His eyes said back, “Calm down. It’ll be okay.” He rubbed her shoulder, then got up to do something in the kitchen.

“Well…” Merida said. “As long as you’re safe now. That’s what’s important.”

Rapunzel looked...wilted. Like spinach left too long in the fridge. The newly-brown hair, the red eyes, the slump of her shoulders. Merida had the urge to set her roommate out in the sun and give her some water to help her perk back up.

She reached across the table—

—and there was more frantic banging on the door.

Merida looked at the door, then at Rapunzel. The former blonde looked...terrified. What the heck was going on?

Then the door was breaking, swinging in. Had someone just broken their door?!

Yup, sure thing. Crazy-looking woman barging in had legit just kicked through the front door. Merida leapt up, baffled and angry and ready to punch this lady’s lights out.

“Oh, Rapunzel!” the freaky woman cried, managing to sound both worried and completely condescending. “I’ve been so worried about you!”

Merida paused, fists up. Crazy woman was Rapunzel’s _mum_? Sheesh. Still illegal, but sheesh. She looked in the kitchen and saw Hiccup on the phone. He mouthed “9-1-1” at her and she nodded back.

The woman was going on and on, about Rapunzel’s short brown hair and bloodshot eyes and how generally awful she looked. How worried she had been. How she had...followed her? Creepy.

Rapunzel wasn’t moving. She stared at her mum with wide eyes. “Mother?” she whispered. She looked at Merida, and Merida was reminded of a frightened rabbit. Hiccup murmured into the phone.

The woman suddenly seemed to notice that she wasn’t the only one there. Her eyes narrowed at Merida, who had moved to block the door, fists still up. She looked at Hiccup next and hissed, “What are you doing? Who are you calling?!”

Hiccup balked. “Uh, just a friend!”

The next few seconds were surreal. Merida watched as the woman pulled a kitchen knife out of her coat, an honest-to-goodness huge chef’s knife, and she was cornering Hiccup, and Rapunzel was shrieking and running to them, and it felt like everything was underwater or something. Too slow, too far away. Then the knife plunged, Rapunzel whacked her mother with the frying pan she’d picked up, and Hiccup was—was—

—down, clutching his side, gasping in pain.


End file.
